Pinocchio becomes a serial killer in the first trailer for ‘Pinocchio Unstrung’

This unsettling story follows the disturbing journey of the iconic puppet towards its conversion into a real being. The film is written and directed by Rhys Frake-Waterfield. The most radical change in the history of Pinocchio already has a date and form: the new production of Jagged Edge Productions takes the famous wooden puppet to the realm of serial killers in *Pinocchio Unstrung*. In this version, the desire to become a real boy turns into a bloody nightmare, where innocence transforms into homicidal obsession and the limits of the original fable completely disappear. The trailer, which has been circulating on social media since March 2, 2026, shows Pinocchio initiating a series of atrocious crimes to get the only thing he lacks: a human body. The visual staging and focus of the film uncompromisingly opt for extreme terror, with scenes where the doll uses its sharp nose as a lethal weapon, pierces the foot of an unsuspecting young woman, and tears the skin from a man’s face, while collecting intestines to complete its macabre transformation. We recommend reading: Pinocchio Unstrung is the most recent addition to the so-called Twisted Childhood Universe, the line of low-budget films that has turned children’s tales into cinematic nightmares. This saga, created and directed by Rhys Frake-Waterfield and produced alongside Scott Jeffrey, has already brought to life Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey and its sequel, as well as Bambi: The Reckoning and Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare. Frake-Waterfield explained to the specialized magazine Variety the approach behind his vision: “We built Pinocchio as a completely practical animatronic because I wanted him to feel real”. Beyond the visual effect, the intention was to place the viewer in a tangible and disturbing experience, where the boundary between puppet and living creature blurs. This version was materialized by specialist and Emmy Award winner Todd Masters, responsible for the practical and animatronic effects. The director defines the film as “a twisted coming-of-age story told from the perspective of the puppet: a creation that struggles for its autonomy while being manipulated by sinister forces around it, from Robert Englund’s Jiminy Cricket to Richard Brake’s obsessive Geppetto.” The story begins with little James (Cameron Bell) wishing for a friend, a request that Geppetto fulfills with the creation of Pinocchio. Although the doll lacks “skin and bones,” it expresses its longing for humanity: “I want to be like you,” it states. The tone of the film changes radically when Cricket advises him: “Take what they have, piece by piece, to complete yourself.” From that moment on, Pinocchio begins a sequence of violence, murdering to obtain hair, skin, and organs, even placing the intestines of a victim in his stomach, in a scene that pays homage to the classic gore of horror cinema.

The contrast with previous versions is absolute. The film by Guillermo del Toro, who had already explored somber tones, is “basically Disney compared to this”, according to Variety.

The Twisted Childhood Universe franchise plans new releases such as Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey 3 and Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble for 2026. The producers claim that this approach seeks to challenge the audience’s expectations, and Frake-Waterfield has stated that the universe continues to grow in increasingly dark and ambitious ways as they prepare for Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble. Jagged Edge Productions has already scheduled the filming of Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey 3 and the production of Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble, a crossover between all its most depraved and violent characters.